Robert Dennison, state Department of Transportation”™s Region 8”™s regional director, scheduled a business breakfast with Orange County”™s Chamber of Commerce a few months back. What he didn”™t know then was that he”™d be giving his farewell address. His announcement at the chamber”™s July 9 breakfast that he”™d been promoted to the DOT”™s chief engineer came with an overview of what”™s been accomplished under his direction. His successor, Joan DuPont, joined the packed audience to listen to the successes and the challenges Orange County has faced under Dennison”™s tenure.
He focused on areas around the Stewart International Airport and the nearby interstate system, the New York State Thruway (I-87) and the east-west corridor of I-84. The two will soon be linked, with construction under way to move toll booths and create a connecting road to take traffic off Route 300 and channel it directly from I-87 to I-84, taking trucks and airport traffic off Route 300.Â
Route 300 has grown its retail business significantly, and stores and shoppers will become even more plentiful once the 120-acre retail project, The Marketplace, currently under construction, opens for business within the next three years.
Dennison portrayed Orange as a good partner to the DOT, crediting Planning Commissioner David Church and County Executive Edward Diana, as well as the Southeast Regional Traffic Task Force, for their cooperation. As the fastest-growing county in the state, Orange is “experiencing significant growth ”¦ while some may complain, it”™s a sign the Hudson Valley”™s economy is growing. That”™s a good thing.”
Stewart International Airport and the role the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will play once they take over National Express Group”™s lease are a top level priority, not just from the DOT”™s standpoint but from a regional one. Negotiations between the Port Authority and National Express Group are “on track,” said Dennison, and the completion of the connecting road between I-84 and the Airport, Drury Lane, will coincide with the airport”™s change of command in October.
“What started out in 1993 as a $10 million project has taken 14 years and is now projected to be $50 million when it is completed,” said Dennison, referencing the years of litigation between the state and environmental groups. Drury Lane will become Exit 5A off I-84, leading to the trucking and transportation hub that”™s growing in the Montgomery area.     Â
From a national perspective, New York has unique problems, said Dennison, because its interstate and road system is one of the oldest in the country. “Other states aren”™t facing our problems, but maybe they can learn from us. One good example is why we didn”™t plan to connect the two interstates, I-87 and I-84, from the outset.”
With the Port Authority and Metro-North in discussions about creating a light rail link between Stewart and the Port Jervis rail line in Salisbury Mills, Dennison hopes more public transportation will be encouraged as the region grows.
Noting the success of the ferries between the east and west shores of the Hudson, Dennison said buses are also a viable alternative for mass transportation, but “for some reason, taking a bus is perceived as a stigma, although they work for areas where the population is spread out and routes can be revised and added to as needs change.”
The changeover of Route 17 to Interstate 86 is also a top priority for the DOT. They have moved forward to put cement barricades on its median because of the increasing number of crossover fatalities. Bridges along the route are being raised to accommodate truck traffic, and Dennison says the DOT is looking at the growth at the Monticello exit, where Bethel Woods is already creating traffic tie-ups, and where a proposed casino may soon be built. Problems with both Exit 122 in Middletown and Exit 131 in Harriman are being studied by the DOT to come up with alternative solutions.
One bright spot in the growing traffic concerns and infrastructure improvements around the Hudson Valley, said Dennison: “Out of the DOT”™s 10 regional offices, nine have no activity: no jobs, no taxes, and no infrastructure to work on. Right now, the Hudson Valley and New York City are the only busy areas in the state.”
For DuPont, who is just getting her feet wet in Region 8, she is already spending “a lot of time in the car. This is a big territory, and I”™m sure I”™m going to get to know its problems, and its strong points, quickly enough.”
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